Such an absorbent article is known from the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,284.
In this patent a net-like elastic member is disclosed having longitudinal strands that are intermittently mutually connected by a number of transverse strands. The elastic member is placed between the backsheet and the topsheet of an absorbent article, in particular a diaper. The elastic substrate is placed in parallel with and in the proximity of the longitudinal sides to provide an elastic leg cuff, or in parallel with and in the proximity of the lateral sides to provide an elastic waist feature. The elastic member is placed between the topsheet and the backsheet in its streched condition, the topsheet being laminated to the backsheet through the the open areas in the elastic member. Upon relaxation of the elastic member, the topsheet and the backsheet are gathered only for those parts of the elastic member that are transversely connected. The modulus of elasticity at 100% elongation of the elastic member, that can be made of any strechable film material of a preferred thickness of between 0.13 mm and 0.50 mm, preferably lies between 1.4 and 140 Kgcm.sup.-2.
An absorbent article of the above mentioned kind, can at the areas where the elastic member is placed between the topsheet and the backsheet, be relatively uncomfortable to the skin because the glue, fixing the topsheet to the backseet, can reduce softness or the fibrous nature of the topsheet. Furthermore, the direction of stretch is confined to the longitudinal direction of the elastic member, the bonding of the topsheet to the backsheet allowing no stretch perpendicular thereto.